$4,145 includes double accommodations for seven nights in Havana (ideal for couples and friends traveling together; single supplement for solo travelers is an additional $650); full breakfast daily, five group lunches and three group dinners. Airfare from your home city to Cuba is not included, as well as airport transfers, and required Cuban health insurance and Cuban visa.

It is said that every Cuban is born to dance. It is in their blood. Cuba wouldn't be the delightful island that it is without the rhythm of salsa or the pulsating beat of an Afro-Cuban rumba. Dance in Cuba offers a rare opportunity to engage with the Cuban people and experience the complex and exhilarating world of traditional and contemporary dance in the largest island of the Caribbean.

Cuba is an intoxicating and rhythmic paradise. Everything from sensual salsa to classical ballet, Cuban dance is a fertile mixture of African and European influences. Havana has innumerable contemporary and traditional dance companies as well as classical ballet schools that have survived the political and economical changes of this small and resilient island. Monumental colonial buildings open their doors every day to thousands of Cuban children, whose primary focus is dance, whether it be rumba, salsa, guaguanco, classical ballet, contemporary dance or the exotic flamenco. Join photographers, Jennifer Spelman and Tricia Cronin, on an unforgettable journey through song, music and authentic Cuban dance.

To offer you unparalleled access to the world of dance in Cuba, English speaking Cuban photographers who live in Havana will serve as our local hosts and translators for this cultural exchange. In alliance with Cuba's premier photographic organization, Fototeca de Cuba, and its Director Nelson Ramirez, our unique program allows U.S. participants to learn about Cuba's long and colorful history and have educational exchanges with Cuban dancers and artists.

Our home for the week is Convento Santa Brigida, a beautifully restored convent in the heart of Old Havana, one block from Plaza Vieja. Featuring simple but comfortable accommodations with private bathrooms, light-filled group meeting spaces, a library, a chapel, and nuns as our lovely hosts, the convent is a serene base to return to after the daily adventures in bustling Havana.

This 8-day U.S. government-approved educational exchange program visits the dance and musical centers of Old Havana and the nearby neighborhoods to meet the Cuban people and discover an authentic Cuba that lies beneath the tourist veil.

Join Jennifer and Tricia and our experienced staff in Cuba for an organized educational exchange through the Pearl of the Antilles and experience, Dance in Cuba through your own eyes. The music, the rhythms, the sounds and most of all, the spirited and gracious Cuban people are the focus of this program that enables you to better understand this fascinating country.

True to the requirements of a people-to-people license with U.S. Treasury Department, Dance in Cuba focuses on educational exchanges with the Cuban people and recording their amazing lives with our cameras.

Additional Information

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

This program is open to photographers at all levels who are passionate about travel and improving their image making.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

This program is open to experienced photographers who are technically self-sufficient, as this is not a program to learn how to use your gear or editing software. Participants should be in good health as this is an active workshop. Days in the field can be long and participants should be prepared to be on their feet walking (approximately three or four hours at a time) while photographing.

SPECIAL NOTES:

Participants make their own air travel arrangements to arrive in Havana in time for the first group meeting on Monday evening, January 21, 2019. Once the trip is confirmed, travel details, suggestions, and tips to help participants travel to Cuba are provided. Enrollment is limited to 14 to 16 participants.

PACKAGE PRICE INFO:

$4,145 includes double accommodations for seven nights in Havana (ideal for couples and friends traveling together; single supplement for solo travelers is an additional $650); full breakfast daily, five group lunches and three group dinners. Airfare from your home city to Cuba is not included, as well as airport transfers, and required Cuban health insurance and Cuban visa.

Tricia Cronin is a travel, lifestyle, and dance photographer. She has a degree in Commercial Photography and has been shooting professionally for the last ten years; nine of which have included teaching and shooting for National Geographic and Santa Fe Workshops, where she is able to enjoy working alongside of the beautiful, creative minds and eyes of her colleagues. She has found that working with budding photographers who wish to explore their yearning to master this skill is not only about photography, but about bridging cultures, gaining understanding of others, and deeply connecting with ourselves. When she is not traveling, Tricia is busy shooting her ongoing project about the heart and tenacity of dancers, and the passion that drives their pursuit. If you would like to see some of her imagery, visit her website at www.triciacronin.com

About the instructor

Jennifer Spelman is a freelance editorial and documentary photographer. She received her photographic training as an assistant with The Workshops, working with some of today’s most preeminent photographers: Jay Maisel, Norman Mauskopf and David Alan Harvey.

A sensitive photographer of people, Jennifer strives to create portraits with energy and insight. Her clients have included Village Science, Seven Squared Media, The Heart Gallery, What Moves You, Sanjhi, and Sustainable Santa Fe. Jennifer is a patient educator who has co-instructed with National Geographic Expeditions and taught workshops in India, Mexico, Japan, and Cuba. This is her 11th year teaching at The Workshops and her website is www.jenniferspelman.com.

Jennifer rarely picks up her camera to photograph on the workshop. This is so refreshing as I am used to photographers running over the students to get their shot—not Jennifer! She is 100% present for her students. She is thoughtful and calm in all situations. She presents well for the Santa Fe Workshops. She is the best!